Jim Neary

James Patrick "Jim" Neary (died August 1921) was an Alderman of Atlantic City's Fourth Ward during the early 1900s. He was murdered by Richard Harrow in 1921 in what was supposed to appear to be a suicide.

Biography
James Patrick Neary was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, and he came to the United States at a young age. Neary was a corrupt cop before being elected to the city council of Atlantic City, New Jersey as a member of the Republican Party. He made collections for Treasurer Enoch Thompson's organization and managed precinct captains in his ward, making him useful to Thompson. He was arrested in 1920 when the Bureau of Prohibition agent Nelson Van Alden discovered that Neary was smuggling booze out of the Hiawatha Garage on 27 Caspian Street in preparation for a Celtic festival, but he was released on bail. Neary would later betray Thompson and help Jimmy Darmody in taking over the city, and he became interim Atlantic County Treasurer after opening up an electoral fraud investigation against Thompson. After the murder of Darmody's wife, however, Darmody decided to force his political allies to change their testimonies so that he could reconcile with Thompson. Darmody and Richard Harrow forced Neary to sign a confession of guilt when they visited his office, but Harrow revealed that the confession was also a suicide note; Harrow proceeded to shoot Neary in the mouth with a pistol.